2006-06-29 - Human Grace

Phil 1:3-6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, ⁵ for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (NKJV)

I have a very precious inner-circle of friends. There are two or three people who know things about me that only God knows other than me. They hear my confessions and my weird ideas and celebrate victories with me. They comfort me in my struggles and support me in moments where words fail utterly. When words return, they are wise enough to know when to speak and when to listen.

I am blessed in this area. I would be a complete fool not to recognize the value of these relationships in my life. Conversely, I guard them with utter confidence where it is required. We see the person of value that God is making in each other, at least dimly.

This is a type, or a shadow, of the mavelous grace that God has poured on us. It is a teaspoon compared with an ocean in volume that the Lord has poured, and continues to pour on us. This does not diminish in any way the care and power of the human relationships, or their importance. But it is important to keep the eternal perspective as well. It is no less critical to trust Jesus in these crucial times, and to be give thanks for the faithful hearts He has placed in our paths.

I urge you to take a little time in the next day - please don't wait - and thank these very important people in your life. Thank the Lord and pray for them and their needs before you do that. I dare say that the thanks will be greater for the things remembered in that prayer time. Maybe we can start a wave of this grace.

Grace & Peace,
Mike

mike.hoskins@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org